This One Is A Keeper
by Kifo Sotri
Summary: When Helga first picked up Milo Thatch, she had no idea what she was getting into, or that it would change her life forever.


"And, relax. He doesn't bite… often."

When Helga first went to pick up the linguist, she didn't expect that he would be so… small. He was like a little puppy, all timid and jumpy. Still, he had fire, given the way he stood up to his bosses earlier that day. Not many day to day workers would threaten to quit over a single trip. That took guts. He had stammered his way through her charms as well, though it seemed like he was barely able to. He was the grandson of Thaddeus Thatch, which spoke highly in his favor, given how driven and determined Thaddeus had been to complete the search for the Journal. Well, now that they had the linguist they had a full team of people for the Atlantis expedition. Mister Whitmore must be over the moon. Rourke would be, too. They finally had the last piece they needed.

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"Welcome to the bridge, Mr. Thatch."

Welcome, indeed. The boy clearly didn't know enough about Rourke, and went in for a handshake. Rourke, as usual, ignored the attempt and got straight down to business. She didn't know what he was thinking, trying to shake Rourke's hand. Maybe he was just being nice. Well, he would learn soon enough that Rourke didn't do nice. Of course they had to give him their undivided attention. It was the slide show that got her attention. Not the picture of him in his bathing suit, that was just embarrassing. But the mention of a great Leviathan was something worth taking note of. It could be rumors, but the alternative was far more lethal. When Rourke got called back to the front viewport, she thought that the idea of a Leviathan would be put to rest. What she got instead was a massive ship graveyard that ranged from all eras. This monstrous defender was seeming more and more plausible by the second. When the thing itself appeared, she was shocked by the sheer size of it, given that it had to be twice or three times the size of their own submarine. All of that awe bled out when cold, hard training took over. They needed to get to the escape pods, and fast.

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"Move it people! Sometime today would be nice!"

She watched as they piled in, one by one. She relaxed a little when she saw the linguist get in, at least the expedition wouldn't end here. Helga refused to let it end here. She scrambled with Rourke to the cockpit, vaguely hearing Packard sound of the evacuation alert one last time. THe moment she was in her seat Helga was trying to open the bay doors, but the damned lever was stuck. While she struggled with the lever, she heard Rourke say something demanding and passive aggressive to try and hurry her up. She focused on making the lever work, barely giving a retort. There was work to do. With one final kick, the lever was free and the doors were open. Seconds later she was steering their shuttle out of the bay and away from the fight. Thatch said to look for a crevice, and once they had found it the only hurdle left was getting in before the titanic machine sunk them all. As they bounced around in their seats, she couldn't help but notice that aside from his whining, the linguist was taking this far better than anyone would have expected.

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"Seven hours ago, we started this expedition with two hundred of the finest men and women I've ever known. We're all that's left."

As Helga closed her eyes in honor of the fallen, a sliver of her couldn't help but be glad that she had been part of the surviving crew. The moment she thought it, of course, was followed by a twinge of guilt over celebrating their survival. They were the only ones who made it. Still, they had a job to do, and now was the time to do it. Rourke got back into his bravado quickly, barking orders and generally acting imposing. With that, the moment was over, and it was time to work. Helga made sure that all the people were in their proper places, especially Vinny. It was better for everyone if he didn't get near the oil rig again. She didn't want a repeat of the Iceland fiasco. She was glad that someone had stopped that incessant honking, it was getting on her nerves. Looking over, she saw that it was Thatch who had been honking the horn, and Rourke had come over to stop it. Since Rourke had decided to see to Milo personally, she assumed that the linguist was ready to go. She hoped he was. After all, the rest of the expedition depended on his ability to read that book. Their lives depended on how he read that book. No pressure.

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She had to admit, Milo was exceeding her expectations. When they had started out, she was sure Milo would be nothing but trouble. After they had revoked his driving privileges, there hadn't been a single problem from him. The little nerd had spades of determination, wanting to deal with all of the hardships on the journey in silence. He was nothing if not dedicated to the cause, seeing as he always had his head stuck in that book. Thankfully he had only ever made one mistake when it came to guiding them along the highway. As Helga watched him, she started to realize that her heart would race every time they made eye contact. At first she ignored it, thinking it was just adrenaline or something else. However, as time passed and they continued to progress further into the Atlantean highway, she found she couldn't ignore the feeling any longer. This was going to become a problem. She couldn't be infatuated with him, could she? After all, he wasn't anywhere near her type. When she went for men, she usually went for the strong yet mentally challenged type. But as the days passed, she knew she would be fooling herself if she thought otherwise. She had fallen for the little nerd, and if she wasn't careful she could jeopardize the entire mission. This was still a mission for money. They had to secure the crystal and take it back to the surface, sure, but after that they would sell it to the highest bidder, and live a life of luxury, all of their dreams within their reach. It wasn't a very ambitious plan, she knew, but it was ambitious enough that it would work. Unfortunately, they still didn't know if Milo would play ball with them on selling the crystal, and as the days passed she became more and more certain that he wouldn't. But that didn't matter. She wouldn't throw away the biggest payday of her life over a simple crush. That's what it was, a crush. It couldn't be anything more, after all. She hadn't known him long enough for anything to be there more than passing fancy. When it came down to it, it was a life of luxury versus a crush on a linguist. There was no question which one was the better option.

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"Get some water on that fire!"

"No time! Get us into those caves, move it!"

This couldn't be happening. The entire camp was going up in flames. How had this started? She had no idea. By the time she had woken up, half of the tents had been engulfed in flames. It's a good thing that Milo had been shouting, or else some of them wouldn't have made it. Milo. Well, now she knew what started the fire. She had to admit that no matter how cute he was, and she had finally come to terms with the fact that she thought he was cute, he was a bit of a problem for this expedition. Whether it was misreading the map and leading them into a giant centipede den, or drinking the last of Vinny's nitroglycerin, the boy was guaranteed to make some kind of inconvenience through pure accident. With a shake of her head, Helga put her concentration back on the task at hand. As she jumped into her rig, she watched the rest of the crew move with quick efficiency to gather all of the supplies needed. Rourke hadn't been exaggerating when he had said they were the finest men and women he had worked with, these people didn't buckle under any kind of pressure. Driving the rig across the bridge was something she needed to keep focused on, she couldn't have herself get distracted at a time like this. As she heard the bridge crack and crumble, the only thing she could do was try and hold her wheel steady The rig was careening out of her control. As she fought to keep it steady, she heard the screech of the digger's wheels as they helplessly tried to find traction. Looking up, the last thing Helga saw was the back of the digger slamming into her windshield.

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"Mister Thatch, what do you think? Mister Thatch?"

Funny how little things can make someone panic so much. Milo was missing. She hadn't thought to check for him in the aftermath of the fall, assuming he would be sitting down somewhere trying catching his breath. After he didn't respond to Rourke, however, she was concerned. He wasn't one to play dead, so that meant he was either out of earshot or… No. He was okay. He had to be okay, because she didn't know what she'd do if he wasn't. This was troubling, to say the least. When had he become so important to her? Never mind, that wasn't important right now. All that mattered was finding Milo so she could strangle him for scaring her. Or possibly hit him until she felt better. As she and the rest of the crew began their search, she heard a clatter of rocks falling. A disturbance off down the cave. As she got closer, signaling that she had heard something, she could make out the sounds of a person scrambling around, followed by Milo's voice, though she couldn't make out what he was saying.

"It seems like we know where Mister Thatch went, sir." She said, turning her head to hide a ghost of a smile.

"It would appear so, Lieutenant. Well, what are you waiting for? Get us moving, now!"

As she got back into her damaged rig, she promised herself that she was going to smack that genius of a moron silly when she found him. She threw the rig into gear as she lost herself in thought. Yes, smacking that little nerd would make her feel much better today. That should teach him to scare her like that. She paused as the digger made it's way through the rock walls. She really had been scared, hadn't she? That was something else that she needed to make sure was in check. She couldn't go around losing her head because the liability of the group had wandered off to play with paste.

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When the digger finally broke through the wall, Helga was at a loss for words. There was an island sitting there, with wildlife flying around it. This was so much more than what they had expected to find. She was so in awe that the movement behind her almost went unnoticed. Almost. The moment she heard the scuffle of rocks she was going for her pistol. She watched as a group of what had to be natives surrounded their small crew. The island had been farfetched enough, but people? This was getting into the realm of fantasy. There weren't supposed to be people here. This changed everything. They were supposed to find this crystal amidst a bunch of broken pots and dusty artifacts, not in a living, thriving island. What if the locals refused to play along? What if they tried to fight back? She watched as Milo began to speak what must have been Atlantean to the leader of the natives. Milo, of course, wouldn't have accepted selling the crystal when it was just an archeological find, what would happen now? He'd do worse now, he would try to stop them. As much as she liked him, a crush just wasn't worth throwing away the once in a lifetime opportunity to become instantly rich. Her heart gave a twinge as she thought about how this would go. But she knew what she had to do. She'd speak with Rourke, he would make a decision, and that would be it. If he changed his mind, that'd be fine. If he didn't, well, she'd given it her best shot. As the Atlanteans mingled with the crew, she couldn't help but hold back on the conversation. Best not to get too attached to these people. They might be the enemy later on..

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Milo was babbling a mile a minute. She kept up her pretenses with the bored look, but she couldn't help but smile at the adorable way he talked. As they crossed the bridge, Helga's mind started to wander. There was no way that Milo would be okay with what was eventually going to happen, not as it was now. The only way that there could be anything between her and Milo was if Rourke suddenly decided to change his mind. And she knew how often Rourke changed his mind.

"Commander, there were not supposed to be people down here. This changes everything."

"This changes nothing."

That was it, she guessed. She had made an effort, but the plan continued regardless of her feelings on the subject. Not that she had expected it to go any other way, to be honest. Rourke wasn't a kind person, nor was he indecisive. He was their leader, and this was the biggest payday they'd ever had a chance at, of course he wouldn't back down when complications arose. The rest of the drive passed in relative silence from two of the three people in the car, while Milo managed to talk enough for three people by himself. He really was like a kid at christmas, and she still couldn't help but smile at the way his eyes lit up while he talked. This really wasn't about the money for him. It was an odd feeling, realizing he was in this expedition solely because of his scientific curiosity and love for adventure. Helga shook her head, wiping the smile off her face. This wasn't the time to be daydreaming. They still didn't know if they were going to stay as long as they needed to. Thankfully, Rourke was an accomplished negotiator, even if it seemed the opposite. She got the news when he returned. They were given a single night to rest and resupply. That settled it, they moved on the crystal tonight. She only hoped Milo would be willing to stay with them. She chuckled lowly at the thought. Like there was any chance.

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"Have a nice swim?"

"Hey guys. Wha-what's going on? What's with all the guns?"

This was it. This was the moment where it all came together. This was where Milo found the crystal for them and they secured it for transport to the surface. The dawning realization in his innocent eyes was too much to bear, so Helga found herself looking away. By the time she looked back, he had leveled his glare right at her. That glare stabbed her harder than anything she'd felt before. Guilt wasn't something she had expected to feel, but that glare hit her with so much guilt she was forced to look away again. Then he did something they never expected him to do. He resisted Rourke. He stood up to the most intimidating men she'd ever met. It was hard to suppress her smile as the tiny man stood up to over two hundred pounds of muscle and cold, hard experience. Just when she thought he couldn't surprise her any more he said something that almost made her change her mind about the entire operation.

"You think it's some kind of a diamond, I thought it was some kind of a battery, but we're both wrong. It's their life force. That crystal is the only thing keeping these people alive, you take that away and they'll die!"

"Well, that changes things. Helga, what do you think?"

Their life force? That…that didn't change anything. They were too far in to back out now. They'd done too much, worked too hard, and sacrificed too many people to let something get in their way now, right at the end. Milo couldn't understand that, he wasn't in this for the money. He would never understand the idea of making a choice for the long term.

"Knowing that…" Helga hid her eyes from Milo as she forced a smile.. "...I'd double the price."

"I was thinking triple."

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"So, I guess this is how it ends, huh?"

Helga gripped the wheel as she heard Milo start to talk. She didn't need to be told that this was bad. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but she had done enough wrong to know that this would just be another mark against her. Her nerves getting the better of her, she turned back just in time to see Rourke throw his punch right at Milo's face. Her knuckles turned white as she held herself in check. It was all she could do to keep from getting out of the truck and clocking her superior officer. Then, to her disbelief, Audrey got out of her truck and walked over to Milo. Then Vinny, Cookie and Mole. When even Packard left she didn't try to hide the disbelief on her face. They were all going to stay behind and die? How could they? Hadn't they all come this close to the end, this close to their dreams coming true? The end was in sight and Rourke would be the only other person who was going to keep the payday. How could they all throw away their dreams over a simple moral dilemma? Helga put the truck into gear and drove off without a word. Fine, if they wanted to drop their dreams and do the right thing, that was their choice. She had a dream to fulfill. Helga ignored the pain in her chest at the fact that Milo hadn't tried to convince her, too.

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"Nothing personal."

She was falling. How dare he. How dare Rourke do this to her. After everything they had been through, everything she had sacrificed and done to make sure that this happened. She felt a twinge as she remembered Milo's glare. Milo. She had left him behind for this. She had doomed an entire civilization to get that blimp in the air. She had thrown away her chances at a life for this expedition. All that, to be thrown away like trash at the very end? To be discarded and set aside like she was nothing more than extra luggage. No. If she was going to be cut out of the deal, then she was gonna burn the deal to the ground. She leveled her flare gun at the blimp as it floated ever higher. Nothing personal, but NOBODY would get out of here with that crystal. Least of all Rourke. Holding her arm steady, she lined up the shot. Right to the main balloon, that should teach Rourke a valuable lesson in team synergy.

"Nothing… personal…" Helga muttered under her breath as she pulled the trigger, igniting the flare as it sailed into the balloon..

She watched with a twinge of satisfaction as the main balloon went up in flames, sending the entire rig down towards the bottom of the shaft. This was it. She was finally done, and there was no way that Rourke would get out of here alive. She writhed in pain as she watched the rig hit the ground, sending debris scattering across the floor. She was dimly aware of Milo's voice nearby, but she was just too tired to care at the moment. Her eyes slipped closed as a pair of boots crossed her vision.

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"Helga…. Helga, wake up. It's okay, now, you're safe."

Helga's eyes opened to the sound of a familiar voice. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she realized that she was laying in the middle of Atlantis. She tried to sit up, but a pair of hands gently pushed her back down, and she turned her head to see Milo standing above her.

"Thatch? What... what happened? How did I get here?"

Her voice was weak, and she fell into a fit of coughing after having spoken.

"You're okay now, but you need your rest. You had a pretty hard fall and you'll need some healing before you're fully recovered. As for how you got here, well, I noticed you lying on the floor not too far from where the dirigible had landed. I couldn't just leave you there, so I had Audrey and Vinny take you on their speeder while I made sure Kida's cell was secure."

His voice was so calm, so matter of fact, as if he hadn't done anything special. As if he hadn't saved her life through his actions. Still, it didn't add up. Didn't he hate her? He hadn't called out to her like he had to everyone else in the crew. Wasn't that because he thought she was beyond saving?

"But, why me? Why did you save me?" she asked, confusion clear in her voice..

Milo looked at her like she was the one saying something strange.

"Why wouldn't I save you? Nobody deserves to die like that. Not for profit, not for science, and certainly not for revenge. That's what I had been saying the whole time."

It was so pure hearted, so naive, that she couldn't help but smile at Milo. He was so good, and he had no idea how much his kindness affected others. How much it meant to her. She was done fighting it, and she shouldn't have tried to in the first place. She was in love with this foolish man, and there was no way she was going to hold back. With an almost desperate fervor, Helga pulled Milo in and brought her lips to his. Milo made a confused noise as she kissed him, but soon enough he just accepted the kiss, returning it with the same passion as her. Eventually they both began to run out of breath, and broke apart, foreheads touching as they stared at one another.

"You're one of a kind, Thatch." Helga said, a smirk playing across her lips.

"I guess I am." He says, still dazed from the kiss.

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"Atlantis will honor your names forever."

They had all received honorary crystals, and were being given a rather massive pile of gold and jewelry. Apparently, it did pay to be the good guy. Helga stood off to the side, her neck bare. Of course she wouldn't get an honorary crystal, she wasn't one of the good guys. To be honest, she was surprised that they were letting her hitch a ride to the surface. It wasn't as if they owed her anything. She was mostly just thankful that they wouldn't be stabbing her and had helped her recover, even if it was under Milo's orders. Milo, the name made her heart beat faster and her face grow red. She couldn't help it now, she was far gone for the goofy linguist. But she knew him well enough after all of this adventure, and he knew she didn't stand a chance against the Atlantean princess, Kidagakash. Kida was pure, pretty, and just as interested in Milo as she was, Helga was sure. It made sense, after all. He had always wanted to find Atlantis, what better a place for him to stay? Helga had heard Kida ask him last night. She hadn't waited to hear him say yes. Her heart couldn't take it. It didn't help that nothing had happened after the first kiss they had shared. No, her royal highness had made sure of that. There wasn't a moment where Helga and Milo had been alone after that, whether it was one of the crew coming to talk to Milo or another Atlantean asking him for help interpreting some rune on the other side of Atlantis. It didn't matter now, her window was closed. They were gathering for one last photo in front of the fish, as Sweet had so eloquently put it. Helga remained where she was, certain nobody wanted the "last bad guy in town" as Cookie had put it, in the photo.

"Hold up, guys! We're missing someone." Milo gestured towards her as he spoke, making Helga reluctantly step forward. "Helga, come on, you need to be in this picture too."

She felt the princesses glare from across the landing pad, but did nothing to stop Milo from pulling her right next to him for the photo. She felt utterly content when his arm wrapped around her shoulder and pulled her close. She was sure her blush would show up on the photograph, to say nothing of her smile.

"Say Gochk."

"Gochk."

The flash didn't quite reach her eyes, making Helga think that perhaps the camera had been angled wrong. If that meant that her blush was invisible to the camera, well there wasn't anything she could do. As they all dispersed to finish loading up the fish, Helga couldn't resist the urge to kiss Milo on the cheek one last time, even if it was in front of the princess. Her lips ghosted his left cheek for a second, just barely making contact.

"Goodbye, Milo. Enjoy Atlantis." she said, her eyes flickering towards the ground as she walked away. She made it four steps before Milo grabbed her shoulder.

"Goodbye? What are you talking about, Helga? I'm coming with you." His voice was unsure, as if he didn't know why she had said what she words were more than enough to stop her dead in her tracks. She whirled around, staring him dead in the eye.

"What?"

"You heard me. I'm going with you."

She couldn't believe it. He was giving up a life with a princess and his dream world. For what? For her?

"But you're perfect here. This is where you belong."

"I belong with a woman who is very special to me, and there's nothing else to it. Besides, who's to say that I couldn't come back here to visit and teach them?"

Milo's words struck her like a hammer. Why had nobody else thought about that? It's not like the Atlantean speeders were lacking a fuel source. But, what was that about a woman who was special to him? Did that mean what she thought it did? She was at a loss for words. All Helga could do was sputter as Milo's arms wrapped around her and held her close. He had chosen her over Kida? How was this possible. She wasn't the good guy. She wasn't supposed to get a happy ending.

"Are… are you sure, Milo?" She asked, cursing the way her voice faltered mid sentence.

"Absolutely. On a side note, would you like to go to Coney Island with me some time? They have some mean bumper cars."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was he actually asking her out on a date? Only Milo would try to be assertive with a date to Coney Island, of all places. Helga couldn't suppress the chuckle, and found that she wasn't the only one. The entire group had overheard their conversation, and the reactions ranged from shock to uncontrollable mirth. Sweet walked over and slapped Milo's back, a mirthful grin on his kindly face.

"Better watch out, Helga. This one's a keeper."

Helga's grin widened at Sweet's words.

"Don't I know it."


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